Predecessors and invention

Already in antiquity coin-like objects served as gifts and as awards for outstanding merits. These medallions were unusual in size and bestowed on special occasions such as triumph parades or the jubilee of a Roman emperor.

In the Middle Ages we come across other coin-like objects such as pilgrim badges and jetons, or counters, used on counting boards.

It was only around 1400 that people began to create large and elaborate medallions again, for show purposes at court. However, the man considered to be the true inventor of the medal is the artist Antonio Pisano, better known as Pisanello (around 1395–1455). From the 1430s on he created palm-sized masterpieces featuring elaborate Renaissance portraits with subtle representations on the reverse. They not only found great appeal but also many imitators.